Gallatin council approves first reading for Foxland Harbor Marina plan amid traffic, safety and scale objections

The Gallatin City Council approved on first reading an ordinance to amend the preliminary master development plan for the Foxland Harbor Marina, a mixed‑use project at Foxland/Fairview on Old Hickory Lake, following more than three hours of public comment and council debate.

The council voted 5–2 to approve the ordinance on first reading. Vice Mayor Hayes moved the measure and Councilman Carter seconded. During the same public discussion the council considered, and rejected, a motion to require a 35‑foot maximum height for commercial buildings in the proposal; that motion failed 5–2.

Supporters said the project completes a long‑standing master plan and would add amenities, slips and tax revenue. A developer representative argued the marina and condominiums are the final phase of a plan first platted in 2007 and intended as part of a high‑amenity lakefront community. Opponents — mostly nearby residents and neighborhood groups — said the proposal is oversized, would worsen congestion at Douglas Bend and Nashville Pike and would increase public‑safety risks on the lake.

The debate highlighted traffic modeling and safety concerns. Tom Lee, a partner at Nelson Mullins representing Friends of Old Hickory Lake, summarized the council’s traffic report, saying, “The traffic study estimates 2,600 new trips each day generated by the Marina development,” and that the study attributes most of that increase to condominiums, restaurants and retail rather than marina users. Lee said the applicant’s internal‑capture assumptions reduce the projected trips to 2,100 but that the discount may not be appropriate for a development of this scale.

Residents described current conditions they say already strain local streets and public safety. Marita Kasbeck, a Foxland resident, asked: “Are you truly going to push forward a project built on solutions already deemed failures?” Several speakers said local enforcement on Old Hickory Lake is limited; one resident said Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) has only three patrol boats to cover the whole lake, which they said raises questions about enforcement capacity if marina capacity increases.

City staff and consultants provided technical clarifications during the council discussion. City traffic engineer Nick Tuttle told the council that a roundabout at Douglas Bend and Foxham Boulevard — a design the staff and applicant discussed as an alternative to a four‑way stop — would improve level of service at that intersection from failing grades to much better levels in both the a.m. and p.m. peaks. Tuttle said a preliminary roundabout diameter of roughly 110 feet was discussed; council members and others urged larger radii to accommodate trailers and larger trucks.

Council members also debated building heights and parking. Planning staff explained that previous approvals on parts of the site included four condo buildings (64 units) and that the current plan asks for 112 units in total, with two mixed‑use buildings containing 48 of those units and four separate condo buildings comprising the remainder. The record shows earlier approvals had requested heights up to 87 feet while later amendments had reduced some approved heights to 68 feet; staff confirmed the proposed buildings are intended to match the previously approved condo building designs.

Council members pressed staff and the applicant for clearer milestones tying required road improvements to phases of construction. Multiple speakers asked the council to require that certain traffic improvements be completed before specific thresholds of docks or building construction are reached; staff said the traffic‑improvement timing is under discussion and that the planning review will specify how the ‘‘25% threshold’’ (the applicant’s and staff’s suggested trigger) will be measured.

Actions taken during the meeting included a failed motion to limit the height of the commercial portions of the mixed‑use buildings to 35 feet (motion failed 5–2) and the passage of first reading of Ordinance O2507‑40 (amended preliminary master development plan for Fox And Harbor Marina) on a 5–2 vote. Council debate and public comment repeatedly called for staff to clarify parking, short‑term rental potential, enforcement on the lake and specific timing for required road improvements.

The ordinance will return to the council for a second reading and final action. Staff said they will confirm the technical definitions the council requested: the exact measure that will trigger road improvements, the engineered roundabout dimensions, and whether the applicant will commit to construction timing or binding surety to assure road improvements are built before specific project phases proceed.

Community and technical details raised at the meeting included: the traffic study’s 2,600 daily‑trip estimate and the study’s internal capture adjustment to 2,100 (Tom Lee); an itemized project program referenced in public comments of 112 condominium units, 253 boat slips, about 20,000 square feet of restaurant/retail, and parking counts described in the traffic report (Tom Lee); prior approvals for 64 condo units in four buildings (planning staff); and competing views over whether the city or TWRA would add enforcement resources.

The council’s first‑reading approval means the amended master plan proceeds to the next hearing for final disposition, subject to any technical edits the planning staff and applicant agree to in the coming weeks.